PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
310 PM CDT THU APR 22 2004

...HAZE FROM CENTRAL AMERICAN FIRES AFFECTING SOUTHEAST TEXAS...

PERSISTENT SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS ARE SPREADING HAZE AND SMOKE FROM 
CENTRAL AMERICAN FIRES TOWARDS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. 

EACH YEAR FROM MID APRIL THROUGH MID MAY...THOUSANDS OF AGRICULTURAL 
FIRES ARE STARTED IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...GUATEMALA AND BELIZE TO 
PREPARE FIELDS FOR CROP PRODUCTION. HAZE AND SMOKE FROM THESE FIRES 
CAN TRAVEL NORTHWARD INTO TEXAS...BUT THE AMOUNT THAT AFFECTS US 
VARIES FROM YEAR TO YEAR. IN MAY OF LAST YEAR...UNUSUALLY DRY 
CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT IN CENTRAL AMERICA LEADING TO A HIGH AMOUNT 
OF SMOKE PRODUCTION. SOUTHEAST TEXAS WAS LOCKED IN A STAGNANT 
WEATHER PATTERN WITH PERSISTENT SOUTHEAST WINDS DRAWING MUCH OF THE 
SMOKE AND HAZE INTO OUR AREA. THIS YEAR...WETTER CONDITIONS AND 
GREENER VEGETATION ARE PRESENT IN THE FIRE BURNING AREAS WHICH 
SHOULD LEAD TO MUCH LESS SMOKE GENERATION.  

MICROSCOPIC PARTICLES CONTAINED WITHIN THE HAZE AND SMOKE CAN BE A 
LUNG IRRITANT CAUSING ASTHMA AND ALLERGY PROBLEMS. ACCORDING TO THE 
TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (TCEQ)...PARTICULATE LEVELS 
HAVE REACHED THE MODERATE CATEGORY ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS. AT THIS 
LEVEL...OFFICIALS RECOMMEND THAT THOSE WITH ASTHMA AND ALLERGY 
PROBLEMS LIMIT THEIR OUTDOOR EXPOSURE.  

THE HAZE WILL AFFECT SOUTHEAST TEXAS THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. AT THIS 
TIME...PARTICULATE LEVELS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO EXCEED THE MODERATE 
CATEGORY. FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY...AN APPROACHING COLD 
FRONT WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL MITIGATE 
HAZE PROBLEMS. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHEAST 
TEXAS SUNDAY NIGHT. NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO 
EXTEND THE BREAK IN HAZY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...PLEASE CONTACT THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON 
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (TCEQ) WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET AT

HTTP://WWW.TCEQ.COM

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